Chicken Satay

Giz and I may be in over our heads.  We've sort of* committed to making lunch for 50 of my aunt's closest family members and friends.  My aunt's son, whom Giz wrote about here, is having his Bar Mitzvah at the end of this month with a reception at the house afterwards.

Come to think of it, Giz, we should probably give this aunt a name since we'll probably end up posting/blogging about this adventure of ours.  I propose: Auntie Takeout.  Auntie Takeout would happily order in pizza or Chinese food for any occasion.  But, there's no way we were going to allow my aunt to serve takeout for my cousin's bar mitzvah.

I know what you’re thinking.  Giz is moving at the end of this month – so it would be crazy to cook for 50 at the same time.  True… But we’re screwed committed now.  

In anticipation of this event, I thought I would try out one of the appetizers we plan to make: Chicken Satay.  I decided to go with a recipe posted by Jamie from Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats.  Go check out Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats – it’s a great blog with a tonne of delicious-looking recipes.

As a side, I tried out an unfamiliar acquisition from a local market.  I have since learned that they are a type of summer squash called Pattypan.  They’re the yellow squash in the bottom right portion of this picture:

What can I say, I’m a sucker for cute looking vegetables.  I mixed the squash with some zucchini, green and orange peppers and grilled it on the bbq.

Please excuse the picture quality – R took the camera for the weekend, leaving me with Giz’s old hunk of crap. 

Chicken Satay
original source: Allrecipes.com

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter ( I used crunchy)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed (I cut them into finger sizes)

In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime/lemon juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and refrigerate. Let the chicken marinate at least 2 hours, overnight is best.

Preheat a grill to high heat.  I used my bbq.  Weave the chicken onto skewers, then grill for 5 minutes per side.

Peanut Sauce
from Tyler Florence

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 green onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal (didn’t include)
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili paste (omit this if you don't tolerate spicy foods well)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hot water

In a small saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium-low flame. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chili paste. Cook and stir for a minute until soft and fragrant. Mix in the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has smoothed out.

Verdict: I was probably doing too much at once and my sauce ended up thicker than I would have liked.  But, everything tasted very good.  I would also probably pound my chicken into almost scallopini thickness to ensure a consistent thickness and even cooking time.  Lastly, I’ll have to remember to lay off the hot sauce for guests – I tend to like my food on the spicy side

 

 

* by "sort of", I mean - we're committed, but still maintaining a level of denial.